for July 2007: Is anyone getting EMS now (2007) from using L-tryptophan?
I recently got this question from a person in Britain who had used L-tryptophan bought via the Internet from the USA for several months. Later, his doctor prescribed OPTIMAX, the prescription drug form of LT in the UK. He was taking the recommended amount of each. Symptoms included myalgias (muscle aches), some muscle weakness, fatigue and so on. First, I’d like to say that precaution should always be used with any dietary supplements bought over the counter or via the Internet: Sometimes these products do not contain the amount of medication they claim to contain, or they have added ingredients not put on the label, or they might have some impurities to which someone somewhere might react, just as with any drug. The worst scenario would be another contamination as with LT in 1989 – which I hope never happens. I hear from people who have minor reactions to various dietary supplements and sometimes more serious reactions. They may be short-term or ongoing and worrisome.
